Becoming a god in a low-key way in the supernatural world

Although there was no transformation performance, the individuals had a long-awaited get-together, ate mochi with hot water, and chatted until late at night.

Christmas has passed, another day has gone by in the blink of an eye, and final exams and the New Year are just around the corner.

Kotegawa will take Haruka back to Nagano with him and stay in his hometown for a week, which means the friends will be separated for at least a week.

Yuka was a little reluctant to leave. She had lived in the Kotegawa family home for almost a year and was very used to it.

Takanashi hugged her knees and didn't say anything. She had been much quieter lately, and her eyes often revealed emotions that even she herself didn't quite understand.

The changes this first year of high school have been tremendous.

When the moon was high in the sky and its bright light streamed into the window, Kotegawa escorted her home.

The two walked very slowly on the short distance of just a few dozen meters.

With her hands behind her back and her index fingers interlocked, her thoughts wandered. As she neared her doorstep, she suddenly asked, "Was it really you who saved Youjia?"

Kotegawa was taken aback by her sudden question. After a couple of seconds, he softly hummed in agreement: "It's me."

"So everything Jia said is true?"

"……Um."

"...Does that mean there really is an afterlife? A steamship? A ghost kingdom?"

"If there are gods, then the afterlife must also exist."

"Can humans really get there?"

"Ordinary people probably can't do it; the place is full of monsters and ghosts."

"Yeah... but it's so amazing." Takanashi took out the key, opened the door, went inside, locked it from the inside, looked at Kotegawa through the door, and finally said, "Thank you for letting me know such a wonderful thing."

Kotegawa looked at her and scratched his head: "Why do you seem a little distant today?"

The little bird turned around, its eyes shining like stars: "No, you're overthinking it. Goodnight."

After she entered the house and locked the front door, Kotegawa watched for a while before turning around and going home, carrying a little doubt in his heart.

When they got home, Yuka was taking a shower in the bathroom on the second floor, while Qingkong was tidying up her clothes in the quiet room.

He plopped down on the bedding, and after a few seconds of stunned silence, asked Qingkong, "Takanashi just thanked me. What happened to her?"

Qingkong put the folded clothes aside, looked at him and said, "A very famous music university abroad has taken a liking to Huawu and wants to invite her to study in their preparatory program."

Kotekawa paused, then instinctively said, "So early? Isn't she only a first-year high school student?"

"The teacher who invited Hua Wu said that her musical talent is extremely rare and that she is entitled to certain privileges."

Kotegawa was stunned. Takanashi hadn't mentioned this to him at all. After a moment, he asked, "It's already decided?"

Qingkong shook his head: "I'm not sure. Judging from Huawu's reaction, she's probably still considering it... What do you think?"

Kotegawa stared blankly at her, then subconsciously said, "I don't know."

Chapter Fifty-One: The New Year (Part 1)

In the quiet room on the second floor, Kotegawa sat cross-legged, his consciousness sinking. Three solid fireballs illuminated half of his mind before shattering silently.

[Achievement: 1321]

[Sword: 1495]

[Fist: 1040]

[Talent: Phantom Land]

The rewards for killing the Ghost King are quite substantial.

Within his dantian, the golden true energy surged like a vast ocean, emitting a deep, rumbling sound, with faint flashes of lightning.

Kotegawa first noticed that his previously dark heart had brightened up a bit, as if light was shining through.

This change should be a good one.

He felt no discomfort, only a surge of powerful energy throughout his body.

He focused his attention on his new talent.

"Phantom Land? A talent related to Phantom Mountain? Is it the ability to transform, or something else?"

He hesitated for a moment, then got up, put on his clothes, changed his shoes, and transformed into mist, drifting away from home.

He flew north to a remote, uninhabited area in the northern region before activating [Phantom Land].

A black vortex, taller than a person, suddenly appeared in the void ahead, and a strange yet familiar aura emanated from its depths.

He stared at the vortex for a moment, then stepped directly into it.

After a brief moment of dizziness, he looked up and saw the familiar Ghost Claw Black Forest before him.

Huanwushan... is back.

"No wonder the monsters here are all called Huanwu; they really do have an inseparable connection with this mountain..."

Kotegawa suddenly felt that what the King of Genmu had said, "Are we going to keep fighting forever?" was about to come true.

"What's this? A windfall?"

He hesitated for a moment, then activated [Illusory Land] again. When the vortex appeared, he stepped into it, but he only passed through it and did not move to another place.

It seems that as long as one is within the range of Phantom Mountain, [Phantom Village] cannot be used... This is a one-way teleport home.

He strode forward, strolling leisurely to the edge of the Black Stone Grand Canyon, which he had visited during the day. However, when he reached the canyon entrance, he hesitated for a moment, then turned and left.

He killed the Illusion King, and he might not have been resurrected yet. He also doesn't have any grudges against the other Illusions, so there's no need for him to bully them. He should wait until the Illusion King recovers before coming back.

He left Huanwu Mountain half on foot and half on foot, found a steamer, and looked at the otherworldly scenery outside the window, lost in thought.

If Takanashi goes to study abroad, will he move house? Chiko-sensei will definitely go with him...

She didn't tell me about this...

He frowned, his mind suddenly in turmoil.

Suddenly, the sky outside brightened considerably, and intense heat surged in from the outside. The steamship swayed slightly, and its direction of travel immediately changed to the other side, as if it were trying its best to avoid it.

Kotegawa looked out the window and saw a large fireball streaking across the sky fifty meters away.

He narrowed his eyes, his gaze suddenly sharpening.

That wasn't a giant fireball, but a three-eyed, six-legged monster engulfed in flames...

“The Demon King? No, it’s not…” He glanced at the large fireball flying alongside him and shook his head slightly.

This thing is a bit bigger than the Demon King, and it even has a physical body.

The Demon King should still be in its true soul state.

"Is it another personal guard of the Demon Queen, or a monster of the same race as the Demon King? It seems quite powerful..."

He was momentarily tempted, but quickly calmed down.

No, what if this guy is a close attendant of the Ghost Queen? If a fight breaks out, there's a high chance he'll attract the Ghost Queen's attention. He's not strong enough to fight a god right now. Let's play it safe for now.

Kotegawa's gaze followed the fireball that had already overtaken him all the way into the distance, which was exactly where Yomi was.

After a long train ride, he arrived in Akagi-cho, transferred to a train at Nishiino Station, and returned to the human world.

The silver moon hangs high in the valley, the night sky vast and cold.

He admired the scenery for a while, and then disappeared from the spot, watched by a group of trembling little monsters.

After he left, the little monsters scrambled onto the car.

More than ten minutes later, Kotegawa arrived at his doorstep. Just as he was about to gracefully enter the quiet room on the second floor, he turned his head and his gaze met that of a pair of eyes in the darkness in the distance.

The curtains on the second floor of the bird's house fluttered a few times in the darkness.

He paused slightly, made no comment, and returned to the quiet room.

Silent all night.

At five o'clock in the morning, Kotegawa went to the yard to practice his boxing, experiencing and adapting to the new power. At seven o'clock, after it got light, Kotegawa greeted his family, had breakfast together, and then each of them took their bags and went out.

Takanashi waited for them at their doorstep. The four of them went to school as usual, chatting and laughing with each other, but no one mentioned the music university.

Once they arrived at school and went to their respective classrooms, Kotegawa, who had just sat down, noticed that Fujiwara-sensei and a middle-aged man in a suit with a foreign face walked in together and called Takanashi away.

He glanced at it, tidied his desk, and quietly waited for class to begin.

After a while, the little bird swam back. It glanced at him as it entered the classroom, but didn't say anything before returning to its seat.

The school bell rang.

Fujiwara-sensei re-entered the classroom, carrying a stack of test papers.

Today is the final exam.

Kotegawa calmed his mind and focused on the exams. When the last exam was over, he breathed a sigh of relief, packed his things, glanced at Takanashi who was surrounded by girls, packed his own things, and waited until Takanashi finished before leaving the classroom with her. They met up with Yuka Haruka Kurumi outside and left school to go home.

Final exams are over, and winter break starts tomorrow. Similarly, the Kotegawa family will be heading back to Nagano tomorrow.

On the way back, they were still chatting and laughing, nothing had changed.

This day was no different from any other day.

Back home, Kotegawa continued practicing his boxing in the yard. Before dark, he went to the supermarket with Aunt Akiba to buy groceries and souvenirs to take home.

At 7:30 p.m., the three little ones, having finished dinner, squeezed into the kitchen to wash pots and pans.

Yuka said inexplicably, "It seems that the university over there said they would offer Chiko-sensei a music teacher job with better pay than her current one... Hanamai might really be going abroad."

Qingkong thought for a moment and said, "I heard that music university has produced many outstanding musicians. With such a good opportunity and conditions, Huawu should also want to go, right? She loves music so much."

“But it’s been five years…” Yu Jia said reluctantly, “And she might even settle down abroad.”

Qingkong let out a barely audible sigh.

Although they were reluctant, this was an opportunity for Hana-mae, and as her friends, they couldn't say anything that would interfere with her choice.

Kotegawa listened quietly the whole time. After washing the dishes and packing his luggage for tomorrow, he went upstairs to take a shower and lay on the bed in the quiet room for a long time.

Around midnight, he suddenly sat up, went downstairs to find something, and fiddled with it for a long time in the dark without turning on the light.